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Enlarge ImageRequest to buy this photoEric Albrecht | DispatchWesterville is one of several central Ohio school districts to use online assignments that can count as a full day of instruction when weather closes schools.

House Republicans’ concerns about giving students too many days off and paying school personnel
for days not worked stalled a bill yesterday that would give Ohio districts four additional
calamity days because of the brutal winter.

Snow and frigid temperatures already have prompted a number of Ohio districts to close for at
least nine days this year; that’s the new maximum under the bill, which was scheduled for a vote
yesterday but was instead passed over.

“There is a lot of anxiety about spending $700 million in taxpayer money and getting nothing in
return,” said Rep. Gerald Stebelton, R-Lancaster, the chairman of the House Education Committee. “
If we don’t make those days up, teachers get paid for nine days they didn’t work. And students don’t
get nine days of education.”

While House Democrats appeared ready to support the bill, and unsuccessfully attempted to push a
vote on it, Stebelton said several Republicans don’t like it. He expects it will get a vote next
week. “School districts need to know what’s going on,” he said.

Based on a survey of 399 Ohio districts, the average district had taken nine calamity days
through Friday, according to the Buckeye Association of School Administrators. Most central Ohio
districts have called off school six or seven times. Columbus is at eight, while Groveport Madison
has canceled 11 times.

Once calamity days are exhausted, the bill gives districts the options of adding days to the end
of the school year or trimming spring break. The bill also would allow schools to make up time by
lengthening school days by half-hour increments.

Gov. John Kasich has called for more calamity days, and the Senate also wants to move a bill —
but Senate Republicans are eyeing a different idea.

When asked about simply granting additional calamity days, Senate President Keith Faber,
R-Celina, said: “I don’t think that’s necessarily a good thing for the academic issues that we’re
talking about. We want kids in school, and we want to give them opportunities to learn.”

School calendars at the beginning of the year include five days that essentially are designated
makeup days, in case districts exceed their allotted calamity days.

Faber said that before giving districts more calamity days, Senate Republicans want to see
schools use those makeup days by either holding classes on them or lengthening the school day.

The Senate also is looking at excusing seniors from having to attend makeup days that occur
after their scheduled graduation ceremony.

In other business, the Senate voted unanimously yesterday to prohibit the sale of electronic
cigarettes to minors. The bill goes back to the House for final approval of changes; it then would
go to the governor.

The bill is focused on the growing e-cigarette market, where devices with flavors including root
beer and chocolate heat nicotine-infused liquid and emit vapor instead of smoke.

Sen. John Eklund, R-Chardon, said that nicotine is as addictive as cocaine and heroin. He said
Ohio also is seeing an alarming trend of people using the e-cigarette devices to deliver other
dangerous drugs.

Sen. Charleta B. Tavares, D-Columbus, voted for the bill because she supports the intent, but
she said “there are areas we have not addressed, such as equalizing the tax on the product. These
are dangerous products.”

Anti-smoking groups and Ohio doctors expressed concern about the industry-crafted bill, arguing
that it creates a new category in state law beyond traditional tobacco products, muddying future
issues of taxation and regulation.

They say the tobacco industry has been pushing similar bills across the country, and they see it
as more of an effort to avoid taxation of the products like regular cigarettes.

“I don’t think they have a great track record of being concerned about the health of the
citizenship,” said Jeff Stephens, director of state policy for the American Cancer Society of
Ohio.